Leadership

Leadership is the ability to persuade others toward actions of one's own choosing. A person, who employs this ability often, or formally, is known as a leader. There are several different types of leaders, and it's not uncommon for a group to have multiple leaders arranged in a hierarchy. Among the survivors, Jack is the de facto leader; however, within a group of such colorful viewpoints and personalities, a certain amount of challenging and subverting is to be expected. Among the Others, the ultimate hierarchy is less clearly defined, but Ben appears to wield the most power in their ranks, but that may not have always been the case. Then there is the DHARMA Initiative to consider, with Horace playing a central role, yet certain individuals who are not without objection to his rule. Furthermore, the Freighter has brought over its fair share of leaders, both obvious and unlikely. This article explores various Lostcharacters strengths as well as weaknesses as leaders.

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"Everybody wants me to be a leader, until I make a decision they don't like."

Contents

The Survivors Camp

Jack Shephard

He was the most educated of the survivors, one of the few with a post graduate degree. Jack was chosen as the group leader for his ability to act with a clear head amidst a medical crisis, such as the immediate aftermath of the crash of flight 815. During that incident, he was able to lead both by example and direction. By treating patients quickly, and delegating responsibility to others where he needed assistance, Jack earned the respect of his fellow castaways. He was always reluctant to assume leadership, thus prefers to lead passively by encouraging people to self-motivate, and dealing with them one-on-one. He will address the group as a whole during times of trouble, but only when asked. His perspective on leadership is addressed when he petulantly tells Kate, "Everybody wants me to be a leader until I make a decision that they don't like." "Exodus, Part 2"

Favorable leadership qualities

Self-Assurance:
As a surgeon, Jack is used to making life or death decisions, often on the spur of the moment. In these situations, hesitating to second guess can be fatal, so Jack has learned to choose an option and follow it through. Despite the fact that this occasionally leads to overconfidence, and sends him in the wrong direction, confidence is an appealing trait to people seeking leadership.

Social-mindedness/Group mentality:
Jack's view of morality tends to favor the well-being of the group over the individual, including himself. His tendency to undervalue his own contributions can occasionally be problematic, as he is always the first to undertake any mission that may be dangerous, and has had to be reminded on more than one occasion that keeping the only doctor on the Island safe is beneficial for the entire group, although this is not an issue after Juliet joins the survivors. This gives the general perception of heroism, and causes most of the survivors to view him favorably. The major exception to this is, of course, Sawyer, who tends to value the individual (including, but not limited to, himself) over the group, and causes a major point of friction between the two.

Charisma:
Jack's physical attractiveness, macro-managerial style, approachability, normally easygoing nature, and tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve make him an easy candidate. People generally like and respect Jack, often from a first impression. Even people he has had rivalries or disagreements with have come to the point of befriending or following him.

Stubbornness:
Jack is not the type to give up easily, especially when it comes to saving lives, as he managed to save Charlie after he was strung up by his neck by Ethan Rom. After being easily overpowered by Ethan, Jack managed to best him in their second fight. As an extension of this trait, Jack possesses a fierce determination to protect his fellow survivors, a quality which can be very endearing to those following a leader. Yet, his stubbornness can also be seen as a negative.

Fearlessness:
In terms of fear, Jack does not allow it to get the best of him. In his first solo procedure as a doctor in which he made a mistake, Jack used his father's suggestion of counting to five to let the fear in, but only for those five seconds. He finished the procedure without causing permanent harm to the patient. Jack would participate in several missions no matter how dangerous they are, due to his desire to keep his people safe.

"Man of science:"
As Locke pointed out just before they opened the hatch, Jack was a "man of science," and preferred to pay attention to actual facts. Locke possessed a blind faith in the island - due in no small part to the island restoring his ability to walk - which would sometimes have dangerous, if not fatal consequences. Jack's pragmatic approach served as a necessary balance to Locke's submission to fate.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Stubbornness:
Jack's determination to see things through can cause him to push himself too hard. Unrested, Jack becomes irritable and sometimes irrational. At one point Kate actually crushed sleeping pills into his juice, to force him to sleep. Jack has been told on several occasions by his friends, father, and even enemies, that he doesn't know how to let go. It's important for a leader be able to recognize the occasions where losses must be cut. In Through The Looking Glass, he refused to listen to Ben and Locke's pleas not to contact Naomi's rescue ship. As we've seen in that episode's flashforward, he now regrets this decision. The last line of season 3 is Jack telling Kate "We have to go back!" as she drives away from LAX.

Emotional and violent responses:
While a heart-on-your-sleeve approach to life is often viewed favorably as honesty, such passion can cause a person to feel first and think later. Jack is an incredibly bright man, but his short temper can cause him to escalate already tense situations, rather than defuse them. This includes moments where he feels that his decisions or authority are under question, and can turn a simple disagreement into a violent brawl.

Impulsiveness:
While Jack is a quick decision maker, he rarely thinks things through and reacts to his first instinct on what to do. Jack's impulsive decisions have led to the deaths of some of the survivors. Sawyer is quick to bring up this aspect in Jack's leadership.

Bad interpersonal skills:
Even as a doctor, Jack had a horrible bedside manner. He doesn't think enough about what he says or how he could say it in a better way. As another example, during his captivity on Hydra Island a better leader would have used his imprisonment to learn more about the Others and try to use the situation to negotiate with them. Jack's antisocial confrontational behavior while captive did nothing for him or more importantly for the people he was leading. He also tends to ignore the abilities of his friends in favor of getting his way, e.g. ordering Kate to stay behind, even though another tracker and another gun would have been a good idea considering the situation.

Addictions:
Jack has various problems with alcohol and substance abuse when under stress.

Overly Controlling:
He never wants a detail out of his control which, in a sense, is the primary force behind the alienation of Locke, and nearly kills himself during surgery. The only one he trusts, and even then only after several minutes of debate, is Sayid and, on a rare occasion when he alone chooses, Kate. Not trusting followers to do their part causes dysfunction in the group.

Overly Skeptical:
While his empirical outlook comes in handy when defusing Locke's ill-thought out schemes, there are occasions when his unwillingness to believe put himself and others in danger. The most clear expression of this is in The Hunting Party, where he grins broadly at Tom and says, "I don't believe you." Tom's response, "You don't believe what?" is appropriate, as Jack's comment is practically indecipherable in the context of their conversation. Jack is clearly trying to use his disbelief as a blunt instrument, and even after he explains himself, John Locke, of all people, has to try to restrain him from putting their lives in jeopardy. It is only when Tom is a second away from blowing Kate's head off that Jack finally agrees to believe that the Others might hurt or kill them.

After he returns to the island, Jack appears to have gotten past most of these unfavorable qualities, though he retains his stubbornness to a certain extent, and displayed a violent response on at least one occasion.

James "Sawyer" Ford

Sawyer has never tried to take direct control of the Losties. He has, however, taken steps to increase his own influence. By taking control of the majority of goods available for trade, Sawyer established himself as an economic leader early on. When he felt that Jack and Locke were making too many decisions, he executed a long con, using Kate and Charlie, to steal the guns. Sawyer acted as leader in one episode, ("Exposé"), and was "assigned" by Hurley to be the temporary leader to the beach camp in the following episode, ("Left Behind"). Sawyer surprisingly seems to take pride in his new role, and when he sees Jack return to the camp, a look of disappointment comes over his face, as he knows his leader days are likely over. ("One of Us") From The Shape of Things to Come onwards, Sawyer showed great qualities of bravery, altruism and determination to the point of risking his own life, which granted him the status of leader of the barrack's survivors group. His new attitude and values create a huge contrast with the man he was before the crash. Following Locke's departure from the Island, Sawyer took control of the remaining survivors and helped them join the DHARMA Initiative. "LaFleur" He remains the leader and voice of reason among them even after the return of Jack.

Favorable leadership qualities

Resourcefulness:
In the first days after the crash, Sawyer was often found scavenging the wreckage of the plane, while the other survivors were waiting on the beach for rescue. He took anything he felt useful or valuable and kept them in his stash. By taking such an early lead in the scavenging, Sawyer was able to amass a larger amount of goods for barter than anyone else, and established himself quickly as an economic leader.

Intelligence, intellect:
Sawyer is often more intelligent than most people think he is, which is probably because of his enthusiasm for literature. Sawyer even thinks that reading books is what makes him think better.

Charm:
His experience as a con man has taught Sawyer an easygoing manner that people, especially women, trust to the point of betraying people they care about.

Strength:
Sawyer has the strength to stand up to anyone who challenges him, gets in his way or who crosses him. He will always stand up for himself and not be pushed around.

Insight:
Sawyer has a gift for reading people, probably from his previous career as a con man. He can get a thumbnail impression upon first meeting someone, and/or can analyze clues to get a very keen sense of who they really are. Notably, he shares this ability with Sayid.

Thinker:
Sawyer proclaimed that he thinks things through, which separated him from Jack who always acts on instinct. "LaFleur"

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Self loathing:
As Kate has mentioned, Sawyer's apparent need to punish himself for the murder of Frank Duckett, and self loathing for becoming the con man that ruined his parents' lives, even to the point of taking the man's name, causes him to push others away. ("Confidence Man")

History:
When he acts as leader, his past behavior causes people to question his motives and have little trust in him. Having influenced Charlie to abduct and beat Sun also work against him. ("Exposé")

Economic Unbalance:
While Sawyer's disproportionate stash gives him a great deal of economic power in trade with his fellow Losties, it has also caused him a great deal of grief, as he must constantly fight to protect his property. ("Confidence Man") It's also been viewed as hoarding by his fellow castaways, and caused a great deal of mistrust.

It is worth noting that none of these negative aspects of Sawyer's leadership qualities are very relevant once he joins DHARMA. ("LaFleur")

Hugo "Hurley" Reyes

Due to his approachable, friendly nature, Hurley has been viewed favorably by most Losties since the crash. He has become slightly more assertive in his time on the Island, and his recent dealings with Sawyer. In Season 6, several characters acknowledge he is taking more of a leadership role.

Favorable leadership qualities

Friendliness:
Hugo connects to people and can talk to them in a way Jack cannot, which makes him much less intimidating than other traditional leaders. He seems to get along with all his island mates. The lone exception was when he got into a brawl with Sawyer after Sawyer had tricked him into believing that Dave was around. "Dave" They seem to have moved on from the incident since then and have become friends.

Manipulation:
At one point, Hugo convinced Sawyer that he was at risk of being "banished" from the beach camp, due to his general antisocial and self-serving personality. With Hugo's guidance, Sawyer performed numerous minor selfless acts for others, in order to influence the "banishment vote". In the end, however, it turned out the threat of banishment was entirely fabricated. Hugo manipulated Sawyer in this manner not for his own personal gain, but for the good of the community, and for Sawyer's own well-being.

Empathy:
Hugo understands that people require relief from stress - especially the stress of being stranded on a hostile, mysterious island. He constructed the golf course and put together a group of individuals to repair the DHARMA van. Basic, physical survival is not enough - people also need to "just have fun" once in a while. In the specific instance of the DHARMA van adventure, he chose the most unlikely individuals to accompany him - people who are the most stressed - Charlie and Jin) - or the most outcast from the rest of the group - Sawyer - sensing they severely needed a "morale boost" more than anyone else. "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead"

Honesty:
With the surprising exception of conning Sawyer into being a nicer person and convincing Sayid that Locke left him behind, Hugo seems to be incapable of lying or deception, at least, not convincingly. He will often volunteer information accidentally, that others want to be kept secret. Unfortunately, this is both a pro and a con.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Inability To Instill Fear:
Hugo commands no fear which means that he has to resort to other means such as kindness or pleading to get others to do what he wants.

Honesty:
With the surprising exception of conning Sawyer into being a nicer person, Hugo seems to be incapable of lying or deception, at least, not convincingly. He will often volunteer information accidentally, that others want to be kept secret. Unfortunately, this is both a pro and a con. As Artz put it "If you want to keep a secret, don't tell the fat guy."

Mental instability/Stress aversion:
Hugo cannot cope with stressful, life-or-death situations. He has a few mental hang-ups as well, which have caused him to react strongly and irrationally to other situations, such as attempting to blow up the Swan pantry, "Everybody Hates Hugo" as well as attempting to end his own life. "Dave"

Kate Austen

Kate has, since the plane crash, been an important figure amongst the survivors. Though she has never acted as a leader, she has the skills and status which could allow her to become one.

Favorable leadership qualities

Bravery:
Kate is a fearless person; she has willingly taken part in many dangerous activities, such as carrying dynamite on her back for the good of the group ("Exodus, Part 2"). She is also not afraid of physical combat and will use violence when she deems necessary, e.g. pulling a gun on Sawyer("Pilot, Part 2").

Survival Skills:
Kate’s childhood spent learning to track, hunt and sail have given her invaluable and resourceful survival skills, which helps not only her, but also the rest of the group.

Relationships:
Kate knows most of the leading members of the group on the Island including Jack and Sawyer. On top of this, Kate has formed strong bonds with other influential survivors, e.g. Sayid and Locke, which would be helpful in a leadership role.

Taking the initiative:
Kate is more than willing to act on her own initiative to accomplish her goals, rather than simply let others do her thinking for her, e.g. conning the phone off Jack, and searching for - and finding - Naomi after he brushed off her suggestion about the dummy trail. ("The Beginning of the End")

Unfavorable leadership qualities

History:
When Kate’s criminal past was revealed in ("Born to Run"), other survivors may have viewed her as untrustworthy and suspicious. Although her status amongst the group didn’t seem to be permanently badly affected, some survivors may view her warily.

Flightiness:
Since her adolescence, even before she became a fugitive, Kate has shown signs of wanting to run away ("Born to Run"). Even on the Island Kate finds it difficult to settle and displays a rather evasive behavior, e.g. lying to Jack about the significance of the toy airplane("Whatever the Case May Be"). This flightiness would surely not serve Kate well as leader, as she would need a more direct conduct to lead well.

Relationships:
Kate has begun to resent Jack and Juliet’s relationship, which could further alienate her from Jack and lower her status within the group.

Deceitfulness:
Kate has been known to display deceitful traits. She once helped Sun deceptively poison her husband("Born to Run"), as well as drugging Jack's juice in order to make him get some much needed sleep. ("The Greater Good")

Indifference:
Kate also seems happy to not have leadership role. Although she is at times involved in decision-making and is an active part of the A-Team, she is too indifferent or not ambitious enough to directly compete for a leadership role, therefore she is relegated to a lower rank which she seemingly willingly accepts.

Sayid Jarrah

Sayid is calm, intelligent, and always rational in even the most dire situations. ("Enter 77")

Sayid's military experiences, critical mind, and technological skills have caused him to emerge as a leading personality within the group. He is one of the few people on the Island who can calmly disagree with Jack by using reason, which seems an odd counterpoint to his skills with physical torture. Sayid seems content with a secondary leadership role, allowing Jack to make most of the decisions, and advising only when he strongly disagrees.

Favorable leadership qualities

People skills:
When motivated, Sayid is good at working with a group. He knows how to talk to people and he knows how to convince as a leader. He has on multiple occasions been able to convince Jack to calm down and think things through. Due to his people skills, he correctly realized that Benjamin Linus - posing as "Henry Gale" at the time - and Mikhail Bakunin were Others, and that Michael was compromised by the Others.

Military bearing:
A military bearing implies that a man has seen hostile action and survived, which can be very reassuring to a frightened group of people. Also, people tend to instinctively obey someone who naturally speaks with authority.

Military training:
Sayid's military experience has come in handy many times, since he is both a weapons expert and capable of using deadly force in hand-to-hand combat. During the battle in which the Others were decisively beaten, Sayid tripped up Jason and snapped his neck using only his legs.

Level-headedness:
Sayid's ability to remain objective during crisis has made him a respected voice of reason, and an asset in discussions of tactics. It also makes him one of the few people who can influence Jack when he behaves irrationally.

Technological skills:
Sayid has demonstrated the ability to create radios, transceivers, receivers, triangulation antennas, and SOS signals out of spare parts from laptop computers, cell phones, and car batteries. If the Island allows signals to escape, he is the Losties best chance of sending a message to flag down a passing ship from the outside world. He was also able to delay disaster by fixing the computer in the Swan after Desmond accidentally shot it.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Solitary Nature:
Sayid, like Locke, is a bit of a loner. While he's among the group more than Locke, he obviously values his solitude, and often ventures to secluded beaches or jungle clearings away from the main group. This separation runs slightly against Jack's policy of "Live together, die alone".

Cultural barriers:
Sayid's Iraqi heritage poses a slight problem in associating with the rest of the Losties, in that they simply haven't found a common comfort zone yet. For example, Hurley made a cultural reference to a song, but then has to wonder if Sayid even got the joke (he did). There was also some initial racially-driven mistrust, but that seems to have been largely overcome. Sawyer, who in the first season attacked and accused him, partnered with Sayid in season 3 to deal with Juliet.

Coldness:
Sayid's willingness and training to torture people for information could be a real asset to the group under the right circumstances, although he has yet to successfully extract any information from his two attempts on the Island, e.g. Sawyer and Ben. It's also a reason for people to approach him cautiously, and a natural impetus for a certain amount of fear.

Self-doubt:
Sayid's experiences as an intelligence officer have created a certain amount of weakness and moral doubt within his character. He constantly questions himself in his actions toward other people. He has the ability to act in an utterly authoritative way, but seems to associate being strong with being the person he was while in the Iraqi Republican Guard.

Passivity:
Sayid is unwilling to assert himself in a leadership role much of the time. While he is often the most level-headed person in a group and often displays sound leadership qualities, he is unwilling to assert himself when challenged. He allows others to run over him. For example, he continues to active passively around Locke who has admitted to clubbing him in the back of the head during the attempt to triangulate the distress signal. As another example, he did not confront Locke on multiple occasions on the long journey to the Barracks even after it was clear that Locke was following a hidden agenda.

Boone Carlyle

Boone strives to be a leader but still follows the stronger convictions of others.

Boone Carlyle was another early, if self-nominated, candidate for leader. He quite obviously cared a great deal about those around him, and had a form of prior leadership experience - a fact that he brought up early and often in his first days on the Island. His youth often got in the way, however, as he was prone to rash decisions and the mistakes of inexperience.

Favorable leadership qualities

Prior Experience:
Boone's pre-Island experiences as the Vice President of a bridal-wear company gave him a confidence in his own decisions, which can be an attractive quality in a leader. Unfortunately, Boone's head-first approach either leads him to make the wrong decision, or to make the right one, but get in over his head.

Able to make decisions:
Boone is able to see problems and to take immediate action to fix the problems.

Courage and Selflessness:
As Sayid said at Boone's funeral, Boone was a courageous young man who put others above himself. When he spotted Joanna in trouble in the water, his first instinct was to swim out himself and get her. After he nearly drowned in the attempt, his first thoughts were still of her well-being.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Upbringing:
Boone's greatest drawback was his age. At 22, he was simply too young, too sheltered, and too wealthy to have the experience necessary to lead a group of adults. He had likely never led a group of people he had to treat as equals or attempt to convince them of anything.

Inability to ask other people for help:
Boone had several foibles early on in which he made choices, albeit with good intentions. As the water supply began to dry up during the early days on the Island, Boone took the water with the intention of organizing the rationing of the remainder but failed to tell anyone else what he was doing. A panic started when the fact that the water had gone missing was noticed and the situation rapidly got out of his control. When Shannon's asthma started acting up, Boone took it upon himself to raid Sawyer's stash for her medication, rather than ask Sawyer for it, or ask anyone else for help. These two incidents both earned him beatings.

Gullibility:
Boone will often follow other's instructions blindly and without question as was seen when Jack instructed him to find a pen. "Pilot, Part 1" He also followed Locke's instructions when he convinced Boone to climb to the plane, an incident that lead to his own death. "Do No Harm"

Ana Lucia Cortez

Ana Lucia's career as a police officer gave her an authoritarian edge and this, coupled with her indomitable disposition, her controlling nature and her innate will to survive, gave her the qualities she needed to emerge as leader of the tail-section survivors. Ana Lucia became the de facto leader of the tail section survivors and albeit she was not always the most popular or most compliant leader, she did manage to ensure her followers' loyalty for the first 48 days on the Island. When the tail section survivors merged with The middle sectionsurvivors, Ana Lucia forfeited her role as leader.

Favorable leadership qualities

Background:
As a police officer Ana Lucia would have been exposed to dangerous situations and would also have had some experience in crises or life-or-death situations. This would have given Ana Lucia some sort of preparation for her role as leader of the Tailies directly following a plane crash. It also gave Ana Lucia a dominant, if somewhat overriding, confidence in dealing with other people.

Confidence:
A frightened group of people will naturally gravitate towards someone who is confident and can talk openly with self-assurance and authority. This makes people feel safe, as if someone else can take care of them or take control of their situation.

Procedural Knowledge:
Ana Lucia utilized many skills in ensuring the safety of herself and her group. She was the first to suspect a spy amongst her group, she led her people away from the beach for safety’s sake, she constructed a pit in which to hold those she suspected of betrayal, and she endangered herself by attacking Goodwin when they were both alone. ("The Other 48 Days")

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Authoritarianism:
Although not a true dictator, Ana Lucia employed very authoritarian governance over her group. She would rarely comply with the groups wishes - only when she had to - and would at times carry out tasks without consulting the other members of the group, e.g. throwing Nathan into the pit. ("The Other 48 Days") She had no real qualms dropping members of the group when they interfered with her goals, e.g. she abandoned Eko when he went to look for Michael. ("...And Found") Eventually, due to her overbearing nature, members of the group, such as Libby and Bernard, abandoned her. ("Collision")

Emotional Coldness:
Ana Lucia maintained a very stoic and aloof standing in the group. She refused to cry for forty days, was emotionless about Donald's deteriorating health, and was unconcerned with leaving an injured and dying Sawyer behind in favor of speeding up their journey to the main camp. ("The Other 48 Days") In a certain respect, her mostly emotionless manner probably gave her an air of confidence and self-assurance however it most likely prevented any of the survivors from becoming very close to her.

Vengeful:
Ana Lucia has been known to carry out vengeful acts, such as murdering Jason McCormack. ("Collision") Although when she was an acting leader, Ana Lucia didn't often display these retributive behaviors, they still constitute an inherent part of her personality, and as such don’t make for good leadership qualities, as they involve somewhat selfish and potentially dangerous activities.

John Locke

Locke found himself on the Island and was determined to remain on it and defend it.

Locke emerged as a leader by establishing himself as the most competent hunter in the group. His fatalism gives him an inspiring confidence; however, it also leaves him looking for signs and omens, and he often refuses to explain himself. He'll generally avoid this pitfall by not explaining himself, preferring a mysterious smile. His usefulness makes others overlook this, but has caused some friction between himself and Jack, who strongly believes in individual choice rather than submission to fate. Locke tends to influence people on a one-on-one basis; however, he did very briefly step into a more formal leadership role after Jack's capture by the Others, to address the group with a rescue plan. However, his motives have been called into question based on his actions during the rescue mission.

Favorable leadership qualities

Selflessness:
John was arguably the most selfless person on the island. Despite the danger of lowering himself into The well he put his life at risk in order to stop the time shifts and save his fellow survivors. Not long after he was willing to take his own life in order to ensure that The Oceanic Six would make it back to the island saving the people he left behind. The fact that he would take his own life simply based on faith in order to save his people is a trait that any leader should have.

Usefulness:
John Locke knows how to follow footprints and has a sense of direction even in thick brush. Locke's skills at tracking, hunting, and cleaning make him an indispensable member of the group. He alone has been able to quite literally bring home the bacon, and this has earned him a great deal of respect. Though Locke's skills were never disputed by any of the castaways, it is not very clear in seeing how much tracking hunting and cleaning he did as an indispensable member of the group of survivors of Flight 815 after the Hatch was discovered to contain its own food supply and the subsequent pallet drop. While acting as leader, dealing with Eko's death, he told Charlie and Hurley separately from rest of the group to act as a calm example to them.

Confidence:
Locke's faith in the Island often gives him a confidence that other members of the group consider reassuring. For example, Charlie once called Locke "The one man I would put my absolute faith in to get us off this island." "Hearts and Minds" However, during periods where he can't find any omens, Locke becomes frustrated and seems to lose his sense of direction.

Personal guidance:
Locke has a gift for offering unsolicited advice in a way that people listen to. He helped Charlie quit heroin, made Claire feel useful while she was pregnant, convinced Boone and Shannon to let go of each other, and admonished Walt to respect his father, Michael. This leaves the people he has helped with a respect for him and a sense of indebtedness.

Determination:
John has shown a high amount of determination at achieving his goals. Despite the task of opening the hatch seeming to be impossible he persevered and eventually found a way in. He also showed determination in trying to stop the time shifts and save the island. While he can grow a bit obsessive his determination can be looked at as a good asset by his followers if there is a goal at hand.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Dishonesty:
Locke has repeatedly been dishonest with other people as to his intentions and motives. Some examples are hiding the discovery of the Swan, secretly attacking Sayid when he tried to locate the distress signal, and taking C4 explosives from the Flame without telling anyone else. Locke made two memorable speeches to his fellow castaways, but in both speeches he lied or manipulated those listening. In "...In Translation" Locke accuses the Others of burning the first raft and stirred up people against them while in reality he strongly suspected that Walt had burned the raft. He later was able to get Walt to confess but never corrected the impression he made. In "Further Instructions" Locke quiets unrest about the capture of several people by the Others by promising to save them, but afterward he seems to follow an entirely different agenda.

Disregard for the lives of others:
Locke has shown a lack of concern with the lives of others on the Island. After leading Boone to his death, he rationalized his actions by claiming that the Island demanded his death so he could fulfill his destiny. He murdered Naomi in "Through the Looking Glass" as she attempted to contact her boat with her satellite phone as well, believing for his own reasons that they were not supposed to leave the Island at that time. Since "The Beginning of the End", he has complete disregard, even going as far as putting a hand grenade in Miles' mouth when Kate "breaks the rules".

Anger:
When faced with questions about his decisions, Locke has has often resorted to angry tantrums. Rather than defend what he has done, he often points to the actions of others, e.g. Jack, to complain about their decisions. He also nearly destroyed the Island, if not all life in the world, in his angry attempt to prove that the button at the Swan did nothing, though it could be argued that Desmond's fate to push the button was prompted by Locke's anger, something that is also prevalent within the show. Locke's anger, though initially causing problems, has often led to such solutions.

Solitary Nature:
Locke has a tendency to be a loner. It's difficult for him to lead when he simply isn't around.

Unconventional attitudes:
Locke's eagerness to adapt to life on the Island, his suitcase of big knives, and his creation of a seemingly new religion all combined to give the Losties an initially uneasy feeling about him. He won many of them over on an individual basis with varying degrees of difficulty, however, and his contributions of fresh meat went a long way towards assuaging people's doubts until the death of Boone.

Blind faith:
Locke's faith in his own greatness and destiny is beyond the rational. It translates into blind faith in what he thinks the Island wants, in omens, and in dreams is fervent enough to sometimes blind him to other dangers. There's also the chance that he's simply misinterpreted the signs, which can potentially put himself and others in danger. Two people have died so far, Boone and Eko, from accompanying Locke on a quest initiated by a dream. While he was not directly responsible for either death, it isn't a stunning track record. It's also unclear if he is following the Island out of faith or out of fear that it won't exert its healing effect on him, leaving him paralyzed again.

Gullible:
Locke is very gullible and will believe almost anything as long as he gets the answer he thought he was looking for. Ben frequently uses Locke's gullible nature against him, which eventually leads to his death. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")

Michael Dawson

Michael proved to be a useful leader when it came to construction and design.

Favorable leadership qualities

Experience:
Michael was the only survivor who had done eight years of construction work. This proved useful, as he successfully orchestrated the rescue of Jack after a cave-in, designed showers for the caves, and also built a raft in an attempt to get off the Island.

Casual:
Michael had a casual way of communicating with people. This led to people being able to trust him.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Walt:
Michael was very possessive of Walt. He put his attempts to be a father to Walt above everything else and often came into conflict with other people over his attitudes as a parent. In this regard he was paranoid about anyone he didn't fully trust around Walt. Because Locke was somewhat of an outsider to him he did not trust him around Walt. He also was picky about who went on the raft with him particularly Sawyer and later Kate after learning about her past. While he did not trust them around his son these people really meant him no harm. This was part of the reason why Walt did not respect his father. Locke even commented on his behavior that his possessiveness was holding Walt back from realizing his true potential.

Amoral:
Michael made a deal with the Others to get Walt back. In the course of freeing Ben, he murdered Ana Lucia and Libby. He also led four survivors into a trap where they were captured by the Others.

Anger:
Michael easily picked fights with people for things not going his way or doing something the wrong way. This trait also caused him to be short sighted such as when the first raft he built was burnt he immediately went after Jin after having past problems with him. In reality it was his own son that did it. He also blamed Sawyer for firing the flare on the raft that brought the Others to take Walt.This behavior only occurs when he is emotionally of physically irritated, as he made with Jin and later took responsibility for Walt's capture.

The Others ("Hostiles")

Ben Linus

While it's difficult to know the exact structure of the Other's society, because of their aptitudes for deception and secrecy, it has become apparent that Ben is an important player. While he may or may not carry the final authority on all matters, it's obvious that he holds a great deal of sway over those around him. One example of Ben's ability to control the other Others occurs when he uses his power to stop Juliet from being sentenced to execution after she murders Danny Pickett. ("Stranger in a Strange Land")

Favorable leadership qualities

Intelligence:
Ben is a very smart person. His plans are usually very well thought out and are easily understood by those he asks to implement them. To those at a distance from him who don't directly see the deception and manipulation, he appears to be a very good leader.

Manipulation:
Ben is highly skilled in the art of deception, and an adept observer of people. He has the abilities to control the information people receive, and to influence the way they perceive outside information. Because of this, he can influence the actions of others in his own favor, even when they are actively rebelling against him.

"Divine right":
Being able to see and talk to Jacob, presumably, gives you considerable respect. That he is the only one to whom Jacob speaks is akin to the concept of the divine right of kings once prominent to justify autocratic rule.

Strength:
Ben maintains an aura of strength in his leadership. He never gives in to the demands of other people, or appears to be weak.

Fear:
Most of the Others appear to fear Ben. "It is better to be feared than loved" - Machiavelli

Mystery:
Ben seems to have a control over the Others with an aura of power and the unknown. Those below him have no idea just what he might be capable of.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Fear:
The problem with leading through fear is that while its possible to get people to think what you want as a leader through fear, its not always possible to get them to do what you want. A system based on fear also works against any sense of trust throughout an organization.

Manipulation:
Eventually, a leadership situation will require trust in the leader. Ben has created a situation where the people closest to him and that he depends on the most as leader don't trust him. This includes his own "daughter."

Depends too much on appearances:
Ben's leadership is dependent, to a large extent, on his maintaining an image of strength and honesty with the group as a whole. Because of this, he is in a position where he cannot afford to make a single mistake or show a sign of weakness.

Over plans:
Ben can be given to over-elaborate planning which can end up backfiring on him. For example, his plan on Hydra Island to break Jack rather than simply negotiate with him would have taken so much time that he would have put his own life at very serious risk. The plan was also so complicated that it didn't work anyway.

Charles Widmore

Favorable leadership qualities

Decisive:
Widmore has made several important choices with a near casual confidence. At the age of 17, he killed Cunningham to prevent him from revealing any information to their captors. ("Jughead") A leader must be able to make the hard decisions, often with very little time to think.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Over-confident:
Widmore's confidence, although inspiring, is one of his most exploitable traits. He believed there to be no way for Locke to track him through the jungle, and that Ben would never find Penny, proving wrong in both instances, which both very nearly proved tragic, as he was saved both times by sheer luck. While confidence is a positive quality, overconfidence is a dangerous thing, particularly for a man responsible for many lives.

Violent:
When he was 17, Widmore made it clear that he had no problem resorting to violence to fix problems. He threatened to cut off Juliet's hands to get honest answers out of her and Sawyer, ignoring both of their pleas and nearly cutting her hand off anyway. ("The Lie") Also, he killed Cunningham, rather than simply order his silence, proving that even his own people are not safe from Widmore's wrath. ("Jughead") Although a leader must at times, resort to violence, diplomacy is much more useful, and often, much more effective.

Richard Alpert

Richard has been on the Island for a very long time and has shepherded the "Hostiles" for much of it.

Richard is the timeless leader of the Others, nurturing their status from Hostiles in combat against both the United States Army and the DHARMA Initiative, to the choosing of Benjamin Linus to take their organization to the next level in their struggles against the pregnancy issue on the Island. He has appeared to be the spiritual leader of the Others and has overseen in the leadership of Ben, sometimes disagreeing with him and conspiring to have him usurped for lack of vision.

Favorable leadership qualities

Peacefulness:
Richard is able to communicate with others through his friendly demeanor and comforting nature. He was a friend to child Ben when he had given up on his DHARMA community and father, and he was well-mannered to Juliet when recruiting her to the Island. He convinced Locke of his special nature and gave him the strength to be a leader for once in his life. He even surrendered temporarily to Kate and Sayid to disarm them and prevent any hostility from occurring.

Island Knowledge:
Richard has been on the Island since 1867, and it would be foolish to think that anyone, other than Jacob or MIB, knows more about the mysteries of the Island than him. He is a priceless tome of what the Island really is and what it has to offer, and this is in no small part due to the vast amount of time he has spent on it.

Purity:
Richard appears not to age and knows the true nature of the Island, which means that he knows the true way of being an Other. After the desertion of the Barracks and the failure of the beach raid, he led the rest of the community to the Temple. Richard then reverted himself and his people back to the tattered clothing of the Others when they were pretending to be uncivilized, leading one to believe that Richard is a true spiritual leader to be listened to.

Calm:
Richard has shown the ability to maintain his cool in volatile situations. Rather than panic when held at gunpoint by Faraday, Richard attempted to talk him down, and he casually shot Keamy to save Sayid. "There's No Place Like Home, Part 2" It is admirable for a leader to maintain calm in such situations, and can often inspire his people to do the same. The one and only exception to Richard's calm attitude seems to be in his dealings with the Man in Black, whom he seems to greatly fear.

Connection to Jacob:
Richard was made ageless by Jacob, and has remained his most loyal follower ever since. Jacob even seems to trust Richard to an extent, with Richard being the only one of the Others Jacob regularly interacts with. This connection to their deified leader has led to even leaders of the Others bowing before Richard's word, granting the ageless advisor untold authority among the Others.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Passive:
Although he has good intentions and does not look for conflict, Richard’s aversion to aggression can be possibly viewed as a sign of weakness or inability to lead with confidence.

Overindulgence:
Richard endured Ben’s misguided, almost incidental, inheritance to the leadership of the Others for far too long. Knowing the true purpose of the Island but not being able to directly influence Ben, Richard was forced to follow his leadership and fixation on the pregnancy issue. He reached out to Locke peacefully rather than overthrow Ben.

Cold-Blooded:
When violence is called for, Richard has been seen to commit acts that are morally questionable at best with a disturbingly calm and efficient manner. In the 1950's, he killed 18 people when they refused to leave the Island, and led his people in slaughtering the mercenary team when they took Ben captive. Although remaining calm is an admirable quality, such actions can lead followers to fear, and therefore mistrust their leader.

High Status:
Richard's high position among both the Others and Jacob's esteem may grant him extensive authority, but it also isolates him from his people. When forced to obey his orders, several Others, Widmore in particular, seem to resent Richard's "and that's final" tone. His connection to Jacob also seems to inspire some jealousy, especially with Ben; When Locke implied that Richard even spoke to Jacob, Ben immediately lied about Richard's relationship to him, and when Ben confronted Jacob, he bitterly demanded to know why Richard had been allowed to see him when Ben himself had not. Richard's strong authority may make him a good leader, but obviously inspires resentment and jealousy amongst his charges.

Tom Friendly

Tom acted as spokesman for the Others during standoffs with the survivors.

Tom Friendly is the representative of the Others toward the Oceanic 815 survivors and a higher-up member of the Others community on the Island. He is a close subordinate of Ben Linus.

Favorable leadership qualities

Intimidation:
Despite being passive and generally passive physically, Tom commands a great amount of intimidation in his speech and power. Usually talking to more than one survivor at once, Tom is able to strike fear and reluctance into his adversaries through his knowledge of the Island’s geography, ability to amass the Others against the survivors, and the threatening eloquence of his words.

Charisma:
Nicknamed “Mr. Friendly,” Tom has come into conflict with the survivors in usually a polite, good-natured, and casual attitude of speaking with them, which has opened up a dialogue between the two parties. This has also given him full command over the militant Others he often leads on missions and has earned him the position as the “voice” of the Others to the survivors.

Honesty:
Tom has shown his integrity by his revealing of his daddy issues to Juliet and his keeping to his word not to attack the survivors should they never cross “the line.” He even gained Michael's trust by showing him that Widmore had conspired to ravage the island through his fake plane planting and digging up of corpses to cover up the crash. He has never lied to his people or to the survivors.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Loyalty:
While not necessarily a negative, Tom is far better at following orders than acting on his own volition. He is one of the most loyal members of the Others under the leadership of Ben Linus, and follows orders without questioning them constantly.

Unspecial:
According to Ben, Tom is “no one” when compared to Jacob, the true leader of the Others. While Tom appears to be of a high council position within the Others comparable to Richard, Tom lacks the necessary connection to the Island or the unquestioning faith of all of his people to command from the top.

Too-Trusting:
Tom has always been too polite and friendly toward others when compared to the ruthlessness of Mikhail or the coldness of Bea Klugh. He trusted Jack to perform Ben’s surgery, trusted Ben’s hostage bluff to work on Jack, and trusted Sawyer to accept his surrender, all of which had dire consequences.

Beatrice Klugh

Ms Klugh was the chief interrogator on Michael and warned the survivors to stay away.

Beatrice Klugh was a calm, cold woman with substantial authority within the Others’ community. She is not easily intimidated and has a stolid, mute gaze even when brutalized or held at gunpoint. She had the potential for great veneration within the Others.

Favorable leadership qualities

Strength:
Ms. Klugh was able to threaten Michael into releasing Ben from his imprisonment in the Swan’s armory, a most difficult task which ended with his murdering of two women. For Klugh to have such power over Michael to get him to succeed and convince the survivors on the list to follow him unwittingly into a trap speaks very highly of her intimidation and respect owed as a leader. She was also able to command a subordinate to shoot her, setting an example for how untouchable the Others wished to remain.

Calmness:
Rarely raising her voice, Bea Klugh has uncannily remained cool-headed and poised when interrogating a prisoner as much as when she herself is being interrogated. She barely seemed panicked when she ordered Mikhail to execute her.

Loyalty:
Klugh is a fierce loyalist and one of Ben Linus’ close subordinates, commanding teams of Others and personally undertaking missions such as checking the condition of the Flame Station when the discharge created an anomaly in the equipment. She was even willing to die to protect the hidden location of her people.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Uncompromising:
While it is very admirable of a leader to take on for the team, it is not typically the behavior of the leader to allow themselves to be sacrificed, suggesting that Klugh lacked the manipulation or willingness to negotiate to save her own life.

Ryan Pryce

Pryce ran security for the Others and safeguarded their Barracks and operations.

Ryan Pryce is the gruff head of security for the Others on the Island and has led several squads of soldier-Others on missions to either capture the survivors or defend their own people. He ran his security detail like the military and expected the best from his men.

Favorable leadership qualities

Militarism:
Pryce’s role as head of security makes him a powerful man and a fierce combatant, earning the unquestioning loyalty of his men in the heat of combat. This would prove advantageous for securing the lives of those that depend on him.

Brutality:
Being stocky and strong, Pryce was skilled at applying brute force to his enemies to shut them up or beat them into compliance. His strength in this area makes him a formidable opponent and one to rely on for protection, much as the Others did.

Loyalty:
Pryce was an extreme loyalist within the Others community and very devoted to following the command of Ben Linus. He did not question why Ben had moved up the invasion and volunteered his ten best men to report immediately. Furthermore, despite Tom’s objections, Pryce shot into the sand to feign killing Jin, Sayid, and Bernard, in accordance with Ben’s bluff to Jack.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Single-Mindedness:
Despite being a loyal, trained solider for Ben Linus, Pryce did not often plan for worst-case scenario or improbable events, thus leaving him with no backup plan when such events did occur. These minor lapses in foresight resulted in catastrophic embarrassments for the Others when the survivors counterattacked Pryce’s invasion team and killed them all.

Subordinate:
Pryce never questioned Ben’s authority, leaving little room to instill a sense of power greater than that of Ben. Though in Pryce’s situation, being leader of the Others security detail was perfect for him.

Dogen

Favorable leadership qualities

Adaptive:
Dogen quickly and easily adapts to changing situations. For example, when Jack discovered that the pill was poison, Dogen disclosed the purpose behind trying to give the pill to Sayid.

Intelligent:
Dogen is evidently intelligent, taking time over his decisions, as well as understanding that, as leader, he must remain separate from his people in order to lead them effectively.

Understanding:
Dogen has proven that he understands a great deal about not only the mystical aspects of the Island, but human behavior as well. He know that his people will defy him if they know that he speaks English, so he pretends not to be able to. When communicating with Jack about the attempt to poison Sayid, Dogen applied his knowledge about both the Sickness and Claire's status by relating her infection to Jack, making him understand the true scope of the danger that Sayid was in.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Uncompromising:
Although he can adapt quite easily when he needs to, Dogen is typically uncompromising in his decisions. Despite the (to the Others) obvious risks of healing Sayid in the spring, he did so anyway. Also, it was only when Jack tried to swallow the pill that Dogen revealed it to be poison. Jack could have died, only because Dogen had stubbornly refused to reveal it's contents to him.

Distant:
Dogen isolates himself from those he leads (with the possible exception of his right hand man, Lennon) by speaking almost exclusively in Japanese when addressing the group. Such separation can cause distrust in a leader that the followers simply cannot relate to.

Juliet Burke

Juliet has strength, but is emotionally exhausted from her time with the Others.

While the source of Juliet's influence has yet to be revealed, it's obvious that she commands a certain amount of respect from those around her. She's the only character among the Others known to intentionally counter Ben. She's also the only person Sawyer took seriously when he surprise attacked the Others in the quarry to test their strength. ("The Glass Ballerina") However, what influence as a leader Juliet may have had on the Others may have diminished after she killed one of their own. ("Stranger in a Strange Land") They had her in front of many of the Others and were allegedly planning to execute her until Jack brokered yet another deal to give Ben further medical care, this time in exchange for saving Juliet's life. Ben opted to have her marked with a symbol that looked to have been branded or scarred into her skin in some way.

Favorable leadership qualities

Cool-headedness:
Juliet's capacity to remain calm in extreme circumstances, like Jack holding a shard of glass to her throat, or apparent willingness to kill Kate, earned her some respect from Ben, Jack, and Sawyer.

Subtlety:
She's been cautious about how she's undercut Ben's authority, which limits revenge. Examples of this behavior include: throwing a book club meeting without inviting Ben, and using a book the rest of the group knows he wouldn't read; leaving Ben's X-ray out where Jack would see it before Ben was ready to reveal that information; and playing Jack a video that couldn't be seen by the security camera, in which she asked him to kill Ben, and make it look like an accident.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Subversive Tendencies:
Juliet has shown a level of subversiveness that can imply a power-hungry attitude. Ambition is admirable, but pursuit of power itself is seldom a positive quality in a leader.

Amoral:
She had no problem plotting to murder Ben or in trying to convince Jack to murder Ben during a medical procedure. She also engaged in a long, secretive affair with Goodwin.

Passive:
In her life before and after the Island, she has been unwilling to directly confront authority figures who have power over her, e.g. Edmund, Ben.

History Of Betrayal:
On at least two occasions, Juliet has betrayed her fellow Others. She shot and killed Danny Pickett after Pickett attempted to kill Sawyer, a crime she could have been executed for. She also told the survivors of the Others plan to invade the beach and kidnap the women from their tents. This action lead to the deaths of several Others. "Through the Looking Glass, Part 1" A leader should not turn on the people he or she is leading, thus it is worth considering that based on her past actions during the various previous episodes, it would tend to appear that at least in the perspective of the castaways that she would not seem to make as good as possible a leader to lead them. People have a hard time trusting her, and trust is an important quality in a leader.

The DHARMA Initiative

Horace Goodspeed

Horace was leader of the DHARMA Initiative on-Island during the 1970s. ("LaFleur")

Horace was a mathematician who controlled the DHARMA Initiative day-to-day operations and worked at the Arrow Station in the 1970s until the Purge.

Favorable leadership qualities

Friendliness:
Horace went out of his way to assist Roger Linus, and his dying wife Emily when their son Ben was born. He remained a sympathetic friend to young Ben when he grew more isolated from his abusive, negligent father on the Island. Furthermore, he conducts himself in a calm, amiable manner and always looks for a mutually beneficial solution to a problem.

Responsibility:
As the head of operations on-Island for the DI, Horace has a tremendous amount of responsibility and thus is a strong leader for letting the Initiative survive in relative harmony for as long as it did. Being stationed at the Arrow, Horace was charged with coordinating defensive strategies to ward of Hostiles, and his command and expertise elicits respect from every employee of the Initiative.

Respect:
Although little is known about the origins of the DHARMA/Hostiles conflict, Horace appeared to have respect and reverence for Richard Alpert and his people leading to the establishment of “the truce.” By negotiating a “truce” and living in respective peace with the indigenous people of the Island, Horace was able to succeed where several other leaders had failed: garnering the respect and pacification of the Others.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Passive:
Horace presents his leadership style in a similar manner to Richard’s, yet Richard can wrangle in the aggressive factions of his organization, i.e. Widmore, yet Horace has more difficulty quieting down irrational and loud dissent from the more truculent members of the DHARMA Initiative, i.e. Radzinsky, LaFleur. He also addresses his people informally (“Hey, man”), which would fail to instill a reasonable amount of fear and fortitude.

Naive:
Horace mildly interrogated Sawyer who was able to use his con man skills to convince him that they were shipwrecked explorers rather than time-traveling survivors, to which he believed them without further suspicion. He allowed Sawyer to pose as Jim LaFleur and remained clueless to his true identity, which if not for Sawyer’s well-meaning could have seriously jeopardized the lives of his entire community. Also, for young Ben to be able to cause a diversion and sneak a prisoner out of the DI jail cell shows how severely Horace underestimates his people.

Insecurity:
Horace married his current wife, Amy, after her previous husband, Paul, had been murdered by the Hostiles during a picnic. Even after three years, he failed to get over his insecurity that she secretly was still more in love with Paul than she would ever be with him. This led to him getting drunk and chucking dynamite near the sonar fence, nearly ruining his people’s perception of him.

Stuart Radzinsky

Stuart Radzinsky is determined to protect his work from the "Hostiles" during the 1970s.

Stuart Radzinsky was the Head of Research within the DHARMA Initiative community on-Island in the 1970s. Years later, up to and after the Purge, he would be stationed in the Swan studying electromagnetic properties of the Island and painting the Blast Door Map.

Favorable leadership qualities

Intelligence:
As Head of Research and sole communication officer in charge of manning the Flame Station, Radzinsky has proven to be very gifted in his pursuits to study the Island, as seen in his geodesic design of a pre-constructed Swan. He even used his craftiness to fake a lockdown in the Swan and with his “photographic memory,” as described by his partner, Kelvin Inman he painted a map of the Island on the back of a semi-closed blast door with every station, historical event, and prosaic annotation pertaining to where he recalled them to be.

Protective Nature:
When word of a “Hostile” crossing the perimeter hit the Flame, Radzinsky was furious and ran to the scene armed and ready for confrontation. He was an especially vocal member when discussing what to do with the imprisoned man, who turned out to be Sayid, and was an active participant in both Sayid’s capture, imprisonment, and interrogation.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Paranoia:
Radzinsky is neurotic to say the least. He suspected Sayid of crossing the line and violating the truce as well as spying on his model of the Swan Station without even questioning him. While it may seem vigilant and protective, it is frantic and could lead to mistakes in the heat of passion.

Over-Aggressiveness:
Being interrupted from his work by Jin sent Radzinsky into an annoyed rage, leading one to disbelieve that such a rash individual could rationally lead anyone. Furthermore, his limitedness in the importance of the “truce” and not offending the “Hostiles” lead him to eagerly vote to execute Sayid, suspected of being a “Hostile,” an act which could endanger the lives of everyone in the DHARMA Initiative if carried out.

Jumps to conclusions:
After his shootout with Jack, Kate, and Faraday, Radzinsky immediately assumed that the Initiative had been infiltrated, rather than investigate possible motives for the recruits' actions. A good leader must weigh all of the possibilities, as jumping to the wrong conclusion can be extremely dangerous, particularly in tense situations.

The Kahana

Daniel Faraday

Daniel is highly intelligent and capable, but is limited in his mental capacity.

Daniel's physicist background as a professor at Queen’s College and generally calm, disarming demeanor make him a natural leader within the Kahana’s science team. Although not universally trusted by the survivors of Oceanic 815, Daniel Faraday is both an asset and credit to the survivors’ well-being regarding the mercenary team attacks and mysterious time-shifting properties of the Island. He does not seem to want to take any leadership away from Jack and the survivors, but readily offers insight, planning, and manpower whenever a problem arises that he feels is threatening and imminent. During the time flashes on the Island when Sawyer's group was temporarily separated, Faraday spoke for the remaining science team members to Richard Alpert and the Others.

Favorable leadership qualities

Intellectual Curiosity:
As seen through his research at Oxford University, specifically Queen’s College Physics Department, Daniel Faraday is a brilliant physicist who is capable of understanding complex equations, mastering the space-time continuum, and sending the consciousness of a test subjects to the future and back. Within hours of parachuting out of the freighter’s helicopter, Daniel discovered the light scattered oddly and began setting up experiments on the Island to test the temporal properties. He also has an intricate journal and an intimate knowledge of the dangers of the Orchid station, specifically recorded to prevent the deaths of people who become “confused” after coming into prolonged contact with the Island’s radiation.

Calmness:
Daniel has an uncanny ability to diffuse a volatile situation. No matter how adamant or aggressive someone is, Faraday has been able to calm them down with his charm and passive nature. He has successfully relaxed Charlotte, Juliet, Miles, Sawyer, Desmond, and Jack amongst others at various times from harming him or creating problems. It is this calming, quirky personality that has gained him the trust of complete strangers.

Island Knowledge:
Having prior knowledge of the Orchid station and the foresight to record Desmond Hume as his emergency constant in his journal gives Daniel the advantage of bearing witness to the more unsettling mysteries of the Island. Thus, he can offer insight that could very well save lives.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Mental Disabilities:
Daniel has a history of awkward behavior and often seems confused by his surroundings. He fails to remember Desmond on the Island, even though he met him at Oxford University in 1996. He has shown his inability to remember his own name briefly, cried for reasons unknown to himself upon watching the “discovery” of Oceanic 815 on television, and has failed to memorize three playing cards at a time. When helping Desmond find his constant, Doc Ray noted, “Faraday can’t even help himself.” The lingering effects of his radiation-induced experiments at Oxford have evidently damaged his neurological functions and short-term memory.

Over-Intelligence:
Faraday’s highly intellectual nature has made it difficult for him to explain his entire thought processes regarding scientific anomalies particular to the Island. He was unable to explain the time-traveling effects of the Island after the turning of the wheel to Sawyer, claiming that it would be exceedingly difficult to explain it to a physicist deeply versed in quantum mechanics. This inability to communicate has hindered his leadership and charisma.

Meekness:
Daniel, though good-intentioned, is often overpowered in will and strength by either his fellow science team members or the Oceanic 815 survivors. His meek nature has prevented him from asserting himself and he usually has to insist that he be allowed to explain himself.

Mysterious Nature:
Faraday tends to keep to himself until it is absolutely imperative that he speak. While he has become more vocal recently, he prefers to let the naturally impetuous leaders within the survivors’ camp speak and waits to be called upon to lend his expertise. He shares almost no personal information about himself with anyone, but this could be due to either his memory loss or the general mysterious nature of the science team.]

Captain Gault

Captain Gault controls the Kahana and its crew to the best of his ability.

Gault was the captain of the freighter commissioned by Charles Widmore with the coordinates of the Island and the intention of finding Benjamin Linus.

Favorable leadership qualities

Intimidation:
For a majority of his time on the Kahana, the Captain maintained an aura of strong leadership and formidable intimidation to the extent that the crew would avoid acting on their own volition for fear of incurring his wrath. Doc Ray repeatedly mentioned that the Captain was a good man as long as one didn’t “piss him off.” This forced Michael, under the guise of Kevin Johnson, to trust no one aboard the freighter and secretly sabotage the ship as well as send covert messages to Sayid and Desmond in the sickbay.

Confidence:
Gault was assured in his command of the Kahana and believed that Charles Widmore, the man who commissioned this boat and sent it to the Island, was giving him accurate information about the duplicity of Benjamin Linus. This gave him command over his crew and convinced Sayid and Desmond that the freighter may actually be there to aid them rather than harm them.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Limited Vision:
Despite his orders, Gault never questioned the background of the Island or expected the altering properties surrounding the Island that soon claimed Minkowski and Regina with severe cases of “cabin fever” (which was the Island’s magnetic field unsticking them in time). Believing this to be a simple extraction mission, he seemed to know little of the Secondary Protocol or the vast reaches of Charles Widmore’s experience with the Island.

Weakness:
While initially a strong leader, Gault’s leadership was strongly undermined when the mercenary team returned after the unsuccessful siege on the Barracks to refuel and reload. Keamy almost executed Michael at point-blank upon being told not to by the Captain and their relations deteriorated from there. Keamy grappled Gault and forced to give up his key to join Keamy’s to unlock the Secondary Protocol, and was essentially ignored and treated as a subordinate by Keamy. Gault attempted to reassume control of his ship after Keamy murdered Doc Ray, but was distracted and killed just as quickly.

Martin Keamy

Keamy's military background and psychotic tendencies have instilled in him a formidable opponent and a brazen leader, worthy of commanding through respect or fear. His techniques and diehard tenacity have made him the strong leader of the mercenary team.

Favorable leadership qualities

Military Training:
Martin Keamy is a former U.S. Marine and veteran of black-ops missions in Uganda. As a result, he has had extensive military training in combat, firepower, and interrogation techniques. These skills have shown their prowess in his hand-to-hand assault against Sayid, his attack on the Barracks, and his enhanced hostility toward Michael and Ben to garner compliance.

Intimidation:
Much of Keamy's leadership comes from his huge stature and threatening nature, both of which have generated a considerable amount of fear from those who try to move against his will. By executing Alex in an attempt to get Ben to surrender himself, he maligned himself against Ben Linus so strongly that Ben was forced to minimize direct conflict with Keamy and call upon the Others to stealth the mercenary team. It is with this intimidation that Keamy was able to command his fellow mercenaries, get information from Michael, and cause the captain of the freighter to side with Oceanic survivors in order to save the people still on the Island. In addition, Captain Gault was strong-armed into relinquishing his key so that Keamy could gain access to the Secondary Protocol, turning a joint venture into a one-man mission. He even strapped a dead man's trigger to his arm wired to a cache of C-4 stored on the Kahana so as to force his survival.

Physical appearance:
Keamy is very muscular and tall. These physical features commands respect, and puts everyone who meets him on guard.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Ego:
Keamy is cocky and grossly underestimates his opponents. He holds Ben captive and considers him harmless, not expecting an assault by the Others at the helicopter despite Kate running toward them and claiming she was being chased. He also continued to taunt Ben with the memory of the execution of his daughter, completely underestimating any possible attack Ben could launch upon him. Because of his ego, he has often been surprised by the underscored efforts of the survivors and freighter crew.

Insanity:
As the mission to capture Benjamin Linus was prolonged, Keamy’s mind slowly started to slip. With Frank’s refusal to fly the mercenary team back to the Island, Keamy slit Doc Ray’s throat just to goad Frank into changing his mind. He also staged an impromptu mutiny on the Kahana when he refused to stand down to Captain Gault, shooting the captain before he could disarm the mercenary team. Such impulsive acts of murder suggest that Keamy had become unstable, which worked to his disadvantage because it prompted former allies to plot against him.

Frank Lapidus

Frank may be a drunk, but is an excellent pilot and sympathetic to the survivors’ cause.

Lapidus was a member of the Kahana crew, the main helicopter pilot on the team assembled by Matthew Abaddon, and the pilot originally supposed to fly Oceanic 815 the day it crashed. Three years later he would fatefully pilot Ajira Airlines Flight 316 from LA to Guam, during which the Oceanic 6, accompanied by Ben Linus and a posthumous John Locke, would attempt to return to the Island. When everyone but Sun, Ben, and Locke flashed back to the Island in 1977, Lapidus crashed landed the plane onto the runway built by Sawyer, Kate, and the Others on Hydra Island. He has tried to take responsibility for the group but is undermined by Caesar and Ilana.

Favorable leadership qualities

Compassion:
Frank has been an ally to the survivors nearly from his point of introduction to them. He attempted to help the survivors both on the beach and aboard the Kahana by securing them with satellite phones and warning them when Keamy intended to torch the Island. He also vowed to keep the secret of the Oceanic 6 and wanted to protect Sun from Ben upon return to the Island.

Calm:
Frank has shown to be incredibly calm in many dangerous situation including being threatened to fly Keamy's team to the island finding out that his plane was about to crash back on the island and being knocked out and kidnapped by ilana'a team.

Appeasement:
As primary pilot aboard the freighter, Frank was forced to fly to and from the Island under increasingly tense circumstances. Being the liaison to Keamy’s mercenary team, Frank was able on several occasions to appease the uncontrollable Keamy before he either discovered the survivors hiding from him or killed more crewmen aboard the freighter. He has proven slightly capable of appeasing Caesar who has attempted to lead the Ajira 316 survivors on Hydra Island.

Piloting:
In addition to his strong character, Frank is an excellent pilot and his proficiency with the freighter’s helicopters has saved countless lives from both the temporal displacement of the Island barrier and the explosion of the Kahana itself. Because of this rare skill, he controls who goes to and from the Island.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Mild-Mannered:
While Frank is a very agreeable person, he doesn’t want any trouble and will keep to himself if it means avoiding a potentially ugly situation, which can lead to others suffering around him and impeding his ability to lead.

Charlotte Lewis

Charlotte is a force to be reckoned with, and usually aids Daniel, encouraging him when he doubts himself.

Charlotte was the anthropologist assigned to the science team, and the only one whom Naomi did not show contempt for. While Charlotte may not be a friendly character, she has shown that she is extremely capable, in instances such as disabling The Tempest gas emission.

Favorable leadership qualities

Authoritative:
Charlotte is very good at commanding authority from people, holding a presence among the survivors. She puts up a convincing front, showing no fear to others, however this regrettably goes hand in hand with her hostility towards others, such as Rose and Bernard.

Island Knowledge:
Having grown up on the island during her youth, Charlotte has brief instances of knowledge of the island from prior to her arrival on the Kahana. When the survivors can't find the entrance to the Orchid, she tells them to "look for the well".

Languages:
Charlotte's ability to speak Korean provides valuable use to translate to and for Jin when speaking to the other survivors.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Secrecy:
Charlotte has frequently shown a reluctance to let the survivors in on the fold of the Kahana's mission, alienating her from the likes of Jack, Kate etc, and infuriating them.

Hostility:
When questioned, Charlotte tends to become very hostile towards others.

The Man in Black's faction

The Man in Black/The Monster

The Man in Black exercised a considerable amount of leadership in order to accomplish his task.

Favorable leadership qualities

Determination: It's anyone's guess how long he's been trying to finish Jacob off, but it seems clear that it has been an awful long time. Any leader with a vision and a will this strong is bound to inspire his followers.

Craftiness: It's also clear that the Man in Black is quite clever. It's not quite clear that he was able to trick Jacob himself, but he sure pulled the wool over everyone else's eyes, and managed to find the "loophole" in whatever system of rules he's bound by. A near perfect mastery of this kind of manipulation will make him quite an effective leader.

Power: The Man in Black is very powerful, able to change shape, effortlessly kill several armed attackers, and survive through gunshots, not to mention untold centuries. Such power is incredible, and can persuade many to follow out of either fear, or religious wonder.

Fearless: A trait ironically shared with his nemesis, Jacob, the Man in Black is quite fearless, due perhaps, to his power. He showed no fear in facing four armed and hostile gunmen within the statue, nor many more upon leaving it. In fact, he even smiles in the face of danger, apparently believing himself (albeit with good reason) to be safe from harm, going so far as to mock his would be attackers. A fearless leader attracts many followers, who are likely to remain loyal to someone who can lead them trough danger.

Inspires Fear:
Although Jacob is unafraid of him (due to the fact that he is usually safe from the Man in Black's wrath), the Man in Black inspires fear, ostensibly through his power and fearless demeanor. Even Richard, a typically calm and unshakeable man, is terrified of the Man in Black, proving just how fearsome the enigmatic entity truly is.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Overconfidence:
While he is never caught in the act of being manipulative by any of his followers, he mistakenly thinks that his enemy (Jacob) isn't able to figure him out and institute counter-measures to stop him. This underestimation of his foe might ultimately lead to his downfall, and certainly can't be good for his followers.

Homicidal:
As the Monster, the Man in Black has brutally killed several people, often with little (if any) provocation. Such random acts of murder can lead followers to fear their leader, and thus plot against him.

Sadism:
The Man in Black is evidently a sadistic being, as shown when he brutally kills his victims (violent beatings, thrashings, and mauling). Also, he openly mocks Ben about the strife in Locke's mind as he died, making no attempt to hide his amusement at the dead man's suffering. Such sadism can inspire hatred and dissent in followers, weakening the leader's power.

Anger:
The Man in Black is extremely aggressive, a trait which he has displayed on numerous occasions. When Mr. Eko failed to repent of his sins (as he wanted), the Man in Black brutally beat him to death. Also, rather than show Bram and his men the uselessness of attacking him, the Man in Black simply killed them, again showing that his rage guides his actions.

Lack of Self-Control:
Although he can maintain deceptions for a reasonable amount of time, the Man in Black has proven that he has little to no control over his impulses. He was barely able to spend five minutes in civilized conversation with Jacob without expressing his desire to murder him. His previously stated homicidal tendencies further stress that the Man in Black has little control over himself, as does his attack on Richard: Rather than simply strike him quickly to knock him out, the Man in Black violently struck Richard in the throat before kneeing him in the head. Such lack of control of impulses (particularly such destructive ones) can be extremely dangerous, not to mention threatening to one's followers.

Obsessive:
The Man in Black has expressed two main goals since he first appeared: Killing Jacob, and going home. These goals are the foremost thoughts in the Man in Black's mind, and these thoughts both drive him, and obliterate most other thoughts, even limiting his ability for rational thought. He believed, despite Richard's great fear of him, their evident history, and the fact that he had beaten Richard unconscious the previous day, that Richard would be willing to join him. Previously, the Man in Black nearly let his cover slip when Richard slightly delayed his mission to kill Jacob, proving that his obsessions outclass any other concern for the Man in Black. A man obsessed is a poor leader, as he is often willing to put his own desires ahead of his subordinates' lives.

Jacob's faction

Jacob

Jacob is the man who has allegedly been leading the Others via Richard Alpert and the procession of leaders (Widmore, Ben, etc.). He has been responsible for bringing certain people to the Island, and may very well be the god-like author of fate itself.

Favorable leadership qualities

Friendly:
Jacob is easygoing, speaking in a soothing, companionable tone. He seems to appreciate the person he is addressing for who they are, and to be sincerely sorry about their problems, sometimes offering helpful advice, for instance, when he convinced Hurley that his ability to see dead people was a blessing rather than a curse.

Fearless:
Even in the face of inevitable, impending death, he seemed to not display a trace of anxiety, but rather seemed happy about the fact that someone was "coming."

Special:
Jacob is special, he has survived for hundreds of years, seemingly has the ability to heal people and has intuition to such a point that he can be in places at exactly the right time, such abilities inspire followers, knowing that Jacob is always one step ahead and can bestow "gifts" upon others such as agelessness with a mere touch.

Selflessness:
The above example illustrates that his goals extend beyond his own comfort, even beyond his own survival. This can be incredibly inspiring in a leader.

Plans ahead:
Jacob's plans (or possibly singular plan) are complex and well planned enough that even his own death seems less a deterrent than an asset, as Jacob now uses his ability to appear to Hurley to enact his will from beyond the grave. Also, Jacob has apparently long predicted his death, having prepared a list of least several hundred candidates to replace him, eventually whittling down his choices to six.

Understanding:
Jacob has a deep understanding of human nature, making use of this to start many candidates on the path that eventually led them to the Island. Also, he knew that simply telling Jack (a stubborn, temperamental man) of how important he was would never work, so he arranged events for Jack to see that he was important enough to be observed since childhood.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Passivity:
Jacob, though he may be pulling the strings in the background, comes off as near-completely uninvolved with the doings of those under his charge. Most of his followers he appears to rarely, and often fails to address them with anything other than an enigmatic, toothless compassion. It is difficult to pinpoint what, exactly, he might truly be responsible for. A leader who is invisible is no leader at all.

Favoritism:
Jacob also seems to play favorites, selecting certain people to befriend and help, and others to treat with disdain. His last words to Ben are a clear example of the latter. Regardless of the many possible meanings of "What about you?", it was clear that, given Ben's emotional state, such a question would not be taken well. "God Loves You As He Loved Jacob" is a reference to Romans 9, the main Calvinist source text, where God is depicted as choosing people arbitrarily to save and others to destroy. Jacob's selection of various candidates seems to serve as a prime example of his favoritism, particularly as he has done nothing to prevent the deaths and disqualifications of all but three of them.

Manipulation:
It might be the case that Jacob's death was a part of his overall plan, perhaps mitigating the favoritism mentioned above, but his willingness to treat Ben disdainfully is simply another instance of conning. Arguments about the "greater good" might justify this, however.

Callous:
Whether intentional or not, Jacob frequently shows a certain disregard for other peoples' feelings. He treated Ben quite dismissively, even (again, possibly unintentionally) insulting him, leading the emotionally disturbed Ben to brutally murder him. Also, he manipulated Hurley in order to get both him and Jack away from the Temple, completely ignoring how Hurley may have felt at being used in such a way. Finally, Jacob seemed to care quite little about how Jack would feel at being watched for his entire life. Treating Ben with disregard has already had severe consequences, and Jack's reaction to being observed would indicate a certain unwillingness to follow Jacob's word ever again.

Ilana Verdansky

Ilana was the leader of Jacob's bodyguards and is also the leader of a remnant group of Oceanic 815 survivors. She appears to have a wide amount of knowledge about the Island. Ilana is well-acquainted with Jacob.

Favorable leadership qualities

Experience:
Even though she has yet to be shown exploring the Island, Ilana appears to be aware about most of its secrets. In addition, her work as a bounty hunter has given her expertise in combat and in survival, traits that are useful when trekking through dangerous terrain.

Beauty:
Ilana's appearance can easily allure a savage Sayid and tame a strong-willed Sun. Her exotic beauty can easily mask her hidden deadliness that can be useful when one is unsure who to trust.

Unfavorable leadership qualities

Dependence:
While this is not one of her most obvious traits, her dependence on Jacob can easily be her weakness, as shown after his death.

Mysteriousness:
Ilana's mysterious personality might be helpful in masking her feisty attributes, it could also lead people to be mistrustful of her since she could be perceived in the wrong way.